Friday the 13th we concluded day 30 of the 2015 legislative session, also known as cross over day. Day 30 is referred to as cross over day because it is the last day a bill can cross over from the House chamber to the Senate chamber. It was a 16 hour day - exhausting, but very successful. Two very important bills were moved from the Rules Committee for floor for debate in the last few hours of the day.

HB 17: The Hidden Predator Act: After a lengthy debate, HB 17 cleared the House chamber with an overwhelming vote of 169-2. The Hidden Predator Act accomplishes two main goals: providing justice for past victims of child sexual abuse and protecting victims in the future by exposing perpetrators of this heinous crime.

There are 10 days remaining in the 2015 legislative session. All bills that have passed each chamber will now begin the same process all over again. HB 17 and HB 470 will be assigned to a Senate committee where new hearings will be held and changes from the House version could be made. Next week I will talk with you about the process of passing a bill in the last ten days and common terms like House/Senate substitutes, motions to agree/disagree, and conference committee reports. The passage of very important bills depend on a legislator’s ability to understand and navigate this process. SB 1, “Ava’s Law”, SB 190, The Religious Freedom Act, and nearly 200 other bills fate depends on just 10 more days of work. And understand, the last day, day 40, known as Sine Die (Latin phrase meaning adjourned) ends no later than precisely 12 midnight. I’ve seen good legislation pass or fail with not only minutes, but literally seconds left on the Chamber clock on Day 40.

The stakes are high. I would ask for your prayers for myself and the entire legislature for the wisdom to do God’s will for the people of Georgia.

Representative Greg Morris represents the citizens of District 156, which includes portions of Appling, Jeff Davis, Montgomery, and Toombs counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 1998, and currently serves as the Chairman of the Banks & Banking Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Resources and the Code Revision, Natural Resources & Environment, and Rules committees.

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